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Wegmans Private Label Water Returns

ROCHESTER, N.Y. -- Wegmans Food Markets, Inc. here is apparently returning its private label bottled spring water, which sells under the Food You Feel Good brand, to all 71 stores in New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Maryland, and Virginia by mid-January.

December 26, 2006, 07:00 pm

ROCHESTER, N.Y. -- Wegmans Food Markets, Inc. here is apparently returning its private label bottled spring water, which sells under the Food You Feel Good brand, to all 71 stores in New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Maryland, and Virginia by mid-January.

Wegmans had pulled the water from its shelves in August after testing showed elevated levels of bromate, a byproduct of the disinfection process. Higher bromate levels have been linked to an increased risk of developing cancer.

Wegmans told the Rochester, N.Y. Democrat and Chronicle that it will have two new suppliers, which it declined to name, saying only that one is located in the Adirondacks, and the other in New Hampshire. The grocer said it also sought out an expert to help it develop stricter quality control standards.

So far, Wegmans' measures to clean up its water act appear to have paid off: There haven't been any detectable levels of bromate in the new water, said beverage category manager Steve Glenning.

The water will have new packaging, but the prices will be the same as before, said Wegmans spokeswoman Jo Natale, adding that the recalled water never caused any illnesses and wasn't an imminent health risk.

The FDA permits no more than 10 parts bromate per billion in drinking water. A few samples from the recalled water tested higher than 20 parts per billion.